Something you may not know about me? I am a cheerleader at heart. I love cheering for friends, family and...the team with the cutest uniform! I grew up in Canada and the closest thing I had to cheerleading was movies made about high schools in the USA. Ooh and there's one other problem - I don't dance. So, unless you can join because of personality and lung power I wouldn't have made the team. Sad but true.
I remember the first time I saw a cheerleader dressed in uniform on the street after moving here...I grabbed Matt's arm and said. "Ooh my goodness, look, there's a cheerleader!" He laughed out loud at me but, I couldn't help myself.

My oldest is 5 and loves to dance (what little girl doesn't?) but, I'm afraid I'm not a commitment mom who's willing to fork out the cash and driving time for her girl to be dancing at a studio. So, when the opportunity came for us to cheer for 3 days of practice and at the VIKINGS game...we said "SKOL VIKES!"

Good thing I love the color purple...and it looks great on my little girl! Last week Adriah joined a couple hundred other girls and cheered for the Vikings during the halftime show! Not only was I proud parent I was also the Official Photographer (official meaning: no one else was on the turf shooting!)

AND to top it off it was the first win of the season. I'm convinced it's cause Adriah cheered her little heart out.

Shooting this event was totally different then anything else I've ever shot - EVERYTHING WAS SO FAST and I HAD NO CONTROL OVER MY SUBJECTS! 90 seconds and it was over. I was exhausted by the end of the day but, ready to learn more about sports photography and do better next year!

I'm only posting a few shots featuring Adriah and a couple of her friends because the rest of the images belong to the Viking Cheerleaders...I got so many cute candid moments!

It was a wonderful experience! Just look at the joy on her face! Wait until you see the last picture...a slice of American. Check out my purple and gold extensions? I'm hardcore.

Noemi Hedrick is a passionate wedding and portrait photographer based in Minneapolis. Noemi loves capturing the beauty inside every person. Her vibrant energy for life, love and family are grounded in her own values and loved ones. Noemi has been proudly serving as a wedding photographer for over 15 years and also offers a wide range of photography workshops for professional and amateur photographers.